Favorite Dishes #29: Marta’s Roman-Style Pizza

September 9, 2015

Tucked inside the lobby of the Martha Washington hotel, Marta (29 East 29th Street, 212-651-3800) — Danny Meyer and Nick Anderer’s like-minded follow-up to their hit Roman restaurant Maialino — traffics in crunchy, airy pizzas with cracker-thin crusts, many of which reimagine classic Roman dishes for their clever toppings. The uneven rounds that Anderer and chef de cuisine Joe Tarasco pull from the flames of the kitchen’s massive wood-burning ovens, above all other offerings, are one of the city’s most constant and reliable pleasures.

With a thin layer of mozzarella and bright, acidic sauce, the margherita is textbook. Start to branch out, however, and you’ll discover that Marta has carved a charming niche for itself in our city’s pizza landscape. When the restaurant opened, there were stewed-tripe pies and pizzas covered in cured pork jowl, onions, and pecorino cheese — a riff on amatriciana sauce. Anderer’s patate alla carbonara — which also relies on guanciale for its meaty funk — loads on the potatoes and cheese. The finishing touch of coddled eggs, poured over the pizza in the same fashion that Di Fara’s Dom DeMarco drizzles olive oil, takes this white-pie-on-steroids to another level. A corner slice never gets old, but if you’ve worn out your tastebuds on too much Neapolitan pizza, Marta does the Roman staple proud.

The Village Voice is counting down to our Best of New York City issue in October. We’re combing the city every day, one dish at a time, to guide you to the most delicious food in NYC. These are our 100 Favorite Dishes for 2015, in no particular order, save for the top 10. To read about previous dishes, browse our 100 Favorite Dishes page.